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We've been noticing a large number of spiders in our house as of late... huge ones!

I figured they were wolf spiders, would grab them with a piece of tissue, and flush them down the toilet.

My wife went online today and looked them up. Nope... not wolf spiders... they're Hobo spiders (well, as near as I can tell, thats what my spiders look like).

*shudder*

Hobo's are nasty and aggressive. If they bite you, you end up with necrotized tissue... a scar that can last years (I got bit on the leg about 7 years ago and still have a mark).

Today's plan of action: buy a crap-load of traps. I'm also going to attempt to catch one and put it in alcohol (70%) so I can take it to someone who can properly identify it (now I wish I had kept the monster that was in the bathroom this morning instead of releasing it outside).

bio wrote:releasing it outside

When you smash a spider, it releases pheromones that other spiders can smell. That tells the other spiders "hey... there's a vacancy over here... come on in!!". Smashing spiders just gets you more spiders.

I wanted to get it away quickly (they're pretty damn creepy... and spiders kinda freak me out).

Run, be free! Find something to eat!!

Usually, spiders I can handle, it's cockroaches that make my blood run cold, but THESE spiders and their flesh-eating bite.... *shudder*

I would be getting the pest man out, with his most toxic of chemicals to deal with these buggers!

I now am in possesion of 12 traps and 2 gallons of toxic goo.

The goo is for spraying around the outside of my house, creating a barrier that'll keep the little bastards from coming in.

I'm not sure if I have enough traps though...

• 5 Bedrooms
• 3 Bathrooms
• Living room
• Computer room
• TV room
• Furnace room
• Kitchen
• Dining room
• Washer/Dryer area
• closets galore
• Garage

I need a smaller house.

So I wonder what the hell I have?



This dude lives out on our shed in the back yard. Big sucker... Oh, and I don't care for spiders much myself.

When you smash a spider, it releases pheromones that other spiders can smell. That tells the other spiders "hey... there's a vacancy over here... come on in!!". Smashing spiders just gets you more spiders.

Did not know that...will have to institute a catch and release program, I suppose.

The annoying thing ia that there are three species of Tegenaria in the Pac NW...all imports: There is T. domestica, which is the common house spider; T. duellica (a.k.a. gigantea), the Giant House Spider; and T. agrestis, the Hobo.

Since you can only really tell a Hobo from the others by looking at their reproductive structures (tho' it's tempting to dismiss the really huge spiders). I treat 'em all the same.

So what is that goo called, Bio?

TO BIOThe Hobo and the gaint house spider look alike. They seem to come in around this time when it get really hot outside.

You need to capture the next one and send a good pic of it to bugfreezer. It was all explained in this article...CLICK HERE AGAIN!!!

Jittery Jim wrote:So I wonder what the hell I have?

I have one of those too. I decided to let it be as it is at the backside of the garage. Be fore-warned, the last one we had I smashed it and it atracted ever yellow jacket for a 5 mile raduis for 2 days. If you do kill it stand back as they are very juicy and always cleanup good after

Jittery Jim wrote:So I wonder what the hell I have?

That's a regular garden orb weaver - harmless to us, but the females get to be rather impressive in size. This particular species (the west side ones don't have those knobs on their abdomen) I've only seen here in E. WA/N. ID

I catch and release jumping spiders. They are cool in my book.

Nice pic, Jim!

ZIPPER wrote:You need to capture the next one and send a good pic of it to bugfreezer. It was all explained in this article...CLICK HERE AGAIN!!!

Yeah...what I said!

bugfreezer wrote:So what is that goo called, Bio?

Ortho Home Defence Max.

It's supposed to work for several months.

And perhaps we aren't quite as invaded as I had previously thought. I haven't seen a single spider today and the traps haven't gotten anything.

Big spiders... knee-jerk reactions. Yup, but I'm cool with that.

I had one or two (not sure, could have been the same one) as Jim did outside in the back yard last year. They (or it) liked to stay up high at the top of the house. After about a whole can of wasp spray it came down. Sorry 'freezer, but I HATE spiders, but oddly enough like Spider-man... no not like that.

So me, I kill 'em on site, with whatever happens to be handy.

Jittery Jim wrote:So I wonder what the hell I have?

Based on that picture... big hairy trouble. Also My new home in Oregon is under external invasion from spiders. They seem to like the climate. I was also told that one of them was a black widow. While I'm not certain that it really was one, that's enough to call in a bug dude, and have the place checked out and ... controlled.